The Lottery
by sw33tn38
Summary: People of Konoha have sacrificed themselves to keep their town safe. Some OOC, Sasuchibi, and maaaaybe some sasusaku. Rated for Language and explicit conent.Inspired by Shirley Jackson.
1. Chapter 1

This story is based on a story that we had to read for English called _The Lottery_. It was also made into a movie. If you don't know the story, then that's ok…just enjoy it anyway!

Chapter 1: The Ritual

It was nearly dawn. The Uchiha Genius slowly readied himself for his daily training. Gathering all his things, he set out into the forest and set up all his targets. It was a deathly calm morning and he wasn't going to waste it. Wearing a blindfold, he held out 9 kunai and began his daily routine. Nailing each target right on the bulls-eye.

Then, to his left, he could feel a pair of small onyx eyes watching his every move. Smirking slightly, he kept on with his training. Then he paused and said, "I know you're out there little brother. You should work on controlling your chakra better so your opponent won't be able to find you."

Guiltily, a small Sasuke came out from his hiding place in the bushes. "Itachi-nii-san, I want to be a strong shinobi like you someday! Teach me the secrets of Sharingan! Dad won't teach me…" He pouted with his lower lip sticking out and he gave his brother the sad puppy eyes.

Damn, almost NOBODY can resist the puppy dog eyes. Well, nobody except Itachi that is.

"No. Sasuke, go inside and eat your breakfast. Mother is calling you," Itachi replied.

"Aw, come on, Itachi…. PLEASE?" Damn, EXTRA sad puppy eyes.

"Oh fine, since you won't stop bugging me about it," Itachi mumbled.

"Yay!" Sasuke shouted in triumph.

Itachi sighed. Well, at least he'll be able to learn something.

"Ok, I'm going to teach you a Katon jutsu. You know what those are Sasuke?"

"Yes Onii-chan!"

He sighed mentally. "All right, I want you to focus your chakra towards your chest and let it circle in your lungs for a few moments."

Sasuke did exactly as he said, still excited about being taught by his big brother.

"All right, now I want you to copy the hand signs I make ok?"

"Ok, Nii-san."

Sasuke copied the signs with such a determined look on his face and Itachi smiled.

"Relax, Sasuke. You're not going to collapse. Now, simply blow out, like you'd be blowing out your birthday candles," Itachi said.

Sasuke, once again following his brother's instructions, blew out. His eyes widened when he saw flames burst out of his mouth.

"Excellent. Now just relax and let all the air out," said Itachi. Sasuke felt like he couldn't breathe anymore and he stopped his mini flamethrower.

"Am I done, Nii-san?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes," was his reply.

"Awesome! Now I can show kaa-san what you taught me!" Sasuke yelled punching a fist in the air. That brought on one of Itachi's rarest smiles.

Itachi picked Sasuke up and set him on his shoulders. Sasuke, still happy that he had learned something from his brother laughed and kept thinking out loud, what the other people in their family would say if they found out that he had learned something new from Itachi.

Itachi just smiled and they both went home.

((($&$&(&$#&(&$#&(&$#&(&$#&(&$

It was in the middle of the afternoon when Itachi and Sasuke got home. Itachi let Sasuke down from his shoulders. As soon as he did so, Sasuke ran around looking for his mom to tell her about the new move that he had learned from Itachi.

"Kaa-san! Kaa-san! Where are you? I have something new to tell you!" Sasuke yelled as he went searching for her all around the house.

Itachi sighed. Sometimes his brother could be just a little too hyper. He went over to the refrigerator and saw the note:

_Itachi, _

_Your mother and I have been preparing for this year's festival. Meet us at the left corner of the town square. _

_-- Your Father_

_By the way, both your and your brother's outfits are hanging in your room. I expect you to help him, considering he still is a little boy after all._

_With love, _

_Your Caring and Highly Unappreciated Mother_

Itachi laughed, amused by the greeting left by his mother. She could be WAY too worrisome sometimes.

He sighed. Well, regardless, he had to take care of his brother and bring him to the festival.

"Sasuke, let's get going!" Itachi called as he went to his room. Immediately, Sasuke appeared.

"What's wrong, onii-chan?"

"We're to get ready for the annual festival today. We have to get dressed and meet mother and father there immediately. Now let's get a move on," Itachi said.

"Ok!"

&(&(&&((()&&$&$#&(&$#&(&$(

Itachi and Sauske arrived at the festival and met up with both of their parents.

"Sasuke, Itachi, WHERE HAVE YOU BOTH BEEN?" bellowed their father.

Itachi just looked calmly at him, "We were training father."

"Well, you both are late. You already missed the first half of the festival. Now it's time for the lottery drawing."

Itachi stared at him with cold eyes. Not that he would admit it to anybody, but he had hated the second part of the festival. It was a lottery choosing a sacrifice so that the Kyuubi would stay away from their village for another year. Deciding from the beginning that the Kyuubi was a folklore, he thought the whole sacrifice ritual as pointless. Even though some of the people agreed with this philosophy, they decided to go along with tradition anyway because it was part of their village's history for years.

This is how it worked:

First, the head of each family would choose a slip of paper from the black box on stage. Then after every head of the family had a slip of paper, they would open them on the count of three to see if they had the black dot on their piece of paper. If they did not, then they didn't win. If they did, then the head of the family has to call up to the stage each member of his immediate family in his household.

Then, when each member of the household was on stage, they would put the paper with the black dot in the box and several pieces of paper for each of the family members. Then each family member would draw a piece of paper. Whoever had the black dot in the family was the winner.

The winner then would be pelted with rocks until he/she dies. Then the body would be given to the Kyuubi as a sacrifice.

The lottery began with the Hokage of the village Konoha calling out each head of the family. Then it was Itachi's father's turn.

"Uchiha!"

Itachi saw his father walk up on the stage with a stoic expression, but slightly shaking hands. The last sacrifice had been his great-grandfather whom was previously head of the clan. Before he died, Itachi's father was told to take over the responsibilities of the clan.

Soon the first round of drawings was over and everybody opened their papers.

"Who's got it?" many of the townswomen whispered to each other."I think Uchiha has it!" yelled a random woman from the crowd.

Itachi stared with wide eyes at his father. Again? He thought. Two years in a row?

His father looked back at him with expressionless eyes, and showed him the paper. Indeed, there was a small black dot in the center of the paper.

His mother sobbed silently, then looked to her husband and sons. She whispered, "No matter which of us it is, know that we always loved you…"

"Uchiha, once again, it is from your great family that the sacrifice must be made. Who are the immediate family members?" called the Hokage's voice from the stage.

Itachi grabbed Sasuke, who was staring intently at the crowd wondering what was going on. Itachi pulled him toward the stage, following his mother and father. When all of them were on stage, the Hokage place the black box in front of them.

"All right, Uchiha-san, you're first. Then the missus, then your sons, Itachi and Sasuke."

Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha picked a paper from the box and didn't open it at the same time. Everybody was readying their rocks.

It was Mr. Uchiha who opened his first. Mrs. Uchiha sighed in relief. It wasn't going to be her husband. She had hoped it was her who received the black do so that she wouldn't have to see her sons nor her husband suffer in front of her eyes.

It was her turn. Opening her paper, she wailed. "No! They're too young! NO!" She began to scream loudly in sad sobs crumpling her blank piece of paper in her hand.

Itachi began to grow nervous. He looked at Sasuke sadly, knowing that the sacrifice had to be one of them.

Then Itachi was pulled to the side by his father where nobody could hear him.

"Listen, I will not let you, the Uchiha Genius, die here. If you are to be the sacrifice, I can and will easily make Sasuke take your place," Mr. Uchiha whispered.

At this, Itachi's eyes flashed red. "No…" he said to his father. "You wouldn't …"

His father smirked. "You know just as well as I do, Sasuke isn't strong enough to uphold our family name. He will NEVER be strong enough. But you, you are definitely fit to lead our family to be the strongest in Konoha. Therefore you WILL let Sasuke take your place."

"And if I refuse?"

His father's smirk slipped away and was replaced by a scowl. "You WILL do as you're told. I'm the head of this family and what I say goes, understand?"

Itachi suppressed his anger and replied under clenched teeth, "Yes father."

"Good. Now go pick for us already, before it gets dark out," Mr. Uchiha commanded as he all but pushed his eldest son in front of the box.

Itachi put his hand in and took out the smallest piece of paper. He knew that it would be the one with the dot on it. He then opened it and smirked. He held it up in front of the crowd. There it was, the big black dot.

"The sacrifice preparation will begin tomorrow. Until then, please enjoy the rest of the food while you still can!" announced the happy Hokage.

Itachi then picked up a silently sobbing Sasuke and put him on his shoulders.

"Let's go home, Sasuke."

"H-hai, Onii-chan," was the sniffling reply.

$&()&$#&())&$#&()&$&()&$&()&$#&()&$&(&&(&

"Sasuke," Itachi called softly as he went into his brother's room. Then, suddenly, he felt a pair of small arms wrap around his legs.

"Onii-chan, I don't want you to go," Sasuke sobbed on his knee.

"Stop it," Itachi commanded and Sasuke immediately stopped crying and let go of his legs. Itachi faced him and kneeled.

"Now look, you're an Uchiha aren't you? Be strong. Now," he said as he took a package from his pouch and handed it to Sasuke. "I want you to take this package to the House of Haruno. Tell them it's urgent, do you understand?"

"But that's all the way on the other side of Konoha!" Sasuke whined. Itachi growled.

"Stop your whining and listen to me. This is your first mission. I want you to go straight to the House of Haruno and not stop and talk to anybody on the way. GO STRAIGHT THERE, UNDERSTAND ME?" he stressed the last part. Itachi knew that Sasuke liked to talk to his grandparents in a shop on the corner of their property, which was why he was late for almost everything.

"I SAID, Do you understand me?"

"Yes, onii-chan," Sasuke whispered nodding his head frantically.

"Good," Itachi replied. "Now hurry along now."

Sasuke gave his brother a determined nod of his head and started running in the direction of the Haruno House. Itachi smiled. Great, now his plan was just getting started.

#$&()(&$#$&()(&$#&()(&$#$#&()&$

Sasuke came back to the house, panting. It was quiet. Too quiet for his liking. Then he went into his parent's room to see if they were still sleeping. That was when he saw it. His big brother Itachi, standing over two bloodied bodies with a rusty looking kunai in his hand. Sasuke then took a closer look at the bodies and saw that they were his parents.

"W…why? …Itachi-nii-san?… Why did you-- what did you--?"

"I was testing my abilities," Itachi growled primally as he smirked. Then he disappeared as he left Sasuke sobbing quietly on the floor.

"WHY!" Sasuke screamed.

(&$#&()&$

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Five years later

_"Foolish little brother… live, and cling onto life…"_

Sasuke pulled his lips into a grim line. With a rushing pulse still beating heavily, he drew his kunai and leapt into the air. Then, making a nose diving spin, he released all of his kunai at their targets. Within seconds, he was again feet first on the forest floor as a new bead of sweat dripped torturously slow from his temple to his chin.

He waited a few moments to steady his breath, with slow deep rhythms, until he decided to evaluate his work. Taking a long inhale of fresh air, he glanced up at the five surrounding trees, each with five target circles drawn in a vertically linear fashion.

Kunai and shuriken were strewn everywhere, littering the trees with metal induced wounds. Some of them had reached their assumed destination, but others had carelessly fallen either short or far from the target intended.

Sasuke gritted his teeth in utter frustration as he stared at his current level of skill. It wasn't good enough yet. Not yet. Not enough to kill THAT MAN…

Five years ago, it had not taken him long for him to realize that he was alone. THAT MAN had abandoned him and left him with nothing but a coldly wounded heart for the rest of his life. He spared nobody from his own family. THAT MAN had even taken the ones who were, or perhaps Sasuke thought they were, the most precious to him…the people he swore by his very soul that he would avenge…

Their parents.

He angrily swept over the area, gathering his weapons from their targets and sticking them back in his pouch. Finished for the day, he decided to take a break for lunch. He strode on to the village, looking for any restaurant except for the Ichiraiku—Naruto's favorite ramen stand. If anything, he wanted to avoid the dobe as much as possible before he—

"OI! TEME!" barked a familiar voice.

--too late. Sasuke kept his face calm and took a deep breath. Still walking, he pretended not to hear him.

"OI! TEME!" he barked louder, this time launching into an attack position."LISTEN TO PEOPLE WHO ARE TALKING TO YOU!"

At this, Sasuke slowed his pace slightly, but he didn't stop. Naruto, now completely annoyed, lunged at Sasuke, kunai drawn. Sasuke smirked, stopping only to create a bunshin and get behind Naruto within half a second flat. He reached out and grabbed Naruto's kunai hand, snapping it behind his own head.

"Dead," Sasuke muttered automatically.

Naruto groaned. Yet again, he had to lose to the bastard.

Smirking while releasing his hold, Sasuke spoke, "What do you want, dobe?"

Naruto growled as he composed himself, brushing off the dirt from his bright orange jumpsuit.

"The festival this year's going to be early I hear," he muttered.

Sasuke merely blinked at him in disinterest.

"So, I'm going to ask Sakura-chan to go with me."

"Hn," he replied, and turned around. He decided having lunch at home might be a better idea instead.

"HEY! You aren't going to the festival with her already are you, bastard?"

Ignoring him, he created a genjustu to make Naruto think he was actually talking to a Sasuke who cared. Leaving him with this distraction, Sasuke continued his route home.

(&$#&(&$#&(&$&(&$&(&$&&$&&&

He was almost a block away from the Uchiha Estate. He was just looking forward to a nice cup of tea, an apple, and maybe some noodles—

"SASUKE-KUN!" came a distant female yell barely two hundred kilometers away.

Damnit.

Sasuke quickened his pace, now he was only a block away from the estate.

"Sasuke-kun!" It was much less distant this time.

Faster, he thought. The faster you run, the faster you'll be home and safe. Home and safe, he urged himself.

He was barely five kilometers now from the gate to the estate. His hand was reaching for the rusty handle to the gate—

"Sasuke-kun!" came the voice again, now in front of him. His hand came in contact with nothing as a figure hugged him firmly around his waist. Pink hair blurred his vision as the smell of cherry blossoms intoxicated him senseless. He breathed in, appreciatively disturbed, for a second. Then he quickly caught himself, once again entering his world of reason and calmness.

Freezing stiffly, he glared at his fan girl/teammate in aggravation.

"What is it?" he grit out.

As if feeling the glare, Sakura shivered against him and then let go.

"A-ano… S-sasuke-kun..." she started. "I was just wondering if you had anybody to go with you to the festival this year."

"No," Sasuke replied hastily, side-stepping her and reaching once more for the handle of the gate. His hand closed around it, roughly pulling the latch with a chakra filled hand and moving the door with a powerful swing.

"O-oh…" she stammered, her inner-self swelling with pride. "Well…w-would you mind going with me?"

Stepping inside, he turned around to glare at her frostily in answer, and shut the door to the gate in her face.

($&(&$&()(&$&()&$&()&$&(&&(&&(&&(&()&

Sakura's inner-self growled with rage.

**HOW RUDE!**

'Maybe he's just not in the mood for celebration?'

**Maybe, but that's no excuse to be rude!**

'True…' Sakura sighed to herself. 'But maybe it's something more…'

She took a nostalgic turn for home.

()&**FLASHBACK**)(&

_A hurried knock ravaged the door of the Haruno House. It was late, and the Harunos had just fallen asleep after the long day of festivities and the annual sacrificial drawing._

_A seven year-old Sakura had heard the loud thumping of her father's footsteps as he approached the front door to their house._

_Rubbing her eyes of the sleep she almost had, she sat up and rested her feet into her favorite fluffy pink slippers. She put on her white gauze robe and softly sneaked out of her room, careful to take light footsteps and avoiding all the spots that creaked. _

_"Who the hell could it be at this hour?" she heard her father curse under his breath. She hid at the top of the stairs, peeking quietly from the darkness through the bars._

_She saw her father swing the door open to see an out of breath Sasuke through the storm door. _

_"An Uchiha?" Her father gasped. Fast as lightening, he ripped open the door and brought the boy inside._

_"…Sir…."Sasuke panted out. "…the….my brother… and…mission…"_

_ "Easy, easy. Take your time, son. What is this about?" Her father asked him. Sasuke stood there for a short while, merely panting from exhaustion._

_Sakura stared. Uchiha Sasuke-kun? What was he doing here?_

_When he finally caught his breath, Sasuke took out the package. Immediately, Mr. Haruno's eyes had stilled into a dark trance. _

_"Sir, my brother sent me to deliver this personally. He sounded like it was serious," Sasuke reported, puffing his chest out in mock-importance._

_For a moment, Mr. Haruno smiled at the young Uchiha, amused by his antics. All the same, when Sasuke handed the package over to him, he grew stiff. Sakura had never seen her father like this before._

_A small scroll lay tied to the package. With a shaking hand, Mr. Haruno reached for it. As soon as he had touched it, he recoiled..pain written across his face. Deciding to look at it later, he addressed his visitor._

_"Well, now that you've done your job, I'm sure you'd like to rest awhile…?"_

_"Ano.. That would be nice Haruno-san…demo… I'm not sure about this…"_

_"Nonsense! You must! Your property is on the other side of town is it not?" Mr. Haruno's eyes then twinkled with the happiness that Sakura knew._

_"Well…maybe just some water would be appropriate, because I need to return immediately," Sasuke replied. He jutted his chin out, as if within highest ranking._

_&(_**END OF FLASHBACK**_(()(&(&_

Sakura sighed. Since that night, she had always wondered what happened after that. Sometimes she would flatter herself by imagining it had been like something one would have seen on a TV drama. A situation that had the two families pairing each other up in a marriage to settle peace between them. Secretly, she would fantasize about it, then shake it off. In reality, she knew that was possibly the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard…but a girl can dream can't she?

She started to pass the flower shop, and stepped inside. Browsing through the flowers, she decided to surprise Sasuke. If she can make him smile once, just once, then she might be able to get through to him..or so she thought.

"Sakura-chan!" she heard a voice whisper behind her.

She flinched and whipped around in surprise. "Lee-san!"

"Sakura-chan, I know this is last minute but—"

"SAKURA-CHAN!!!" Naruto burst through the door.

"—will you grace me with your beauty and power of youth at the Kyuubi Festival?" Lee got out quickly making a shiny nice guy pose that scarily resembled Gai in every detail.

"Ano…" Sakura sweat-dropped, slightly embarrassed. "I'll have to think about it."

"HOLD IT! NOBODY'S GOING TO THAT FESTIVAL WITH SAKURA-CHAN BUT ME!!!!" Naruto fumed.

"Only together will Sakura and I use the power of the lotus to create power as strong as the power of youth!"

"NANI?!"

"OI! Take it outside! I've got a business here!" yelled a very irritated Ino. Lee and Naruto both left the building and started to fight about who would take Sakura to the festival.

Sakura hid her face out of embarrassment and stole away from the boys by hiding in a nearby aisle of irises (a/n: my favorite flower!ahem.. back to fic). See that these could be a big part of her plan, she bought them, ever so often taking in a whiff of their sweet and mild perfume.

"Oi, Forehead-girl," Ino snickered. "Are you giving those to Sasuke-kun? Because from what I hear, he hates flowers… especially from girls with fat foreheads and greasy hair."

"None of your business, Ino-pig!" Sakura smiled as she skipped out the door…and into a crazy mess.

Both Lee and Naruto glared at each other mercilessly. She almost could've sworn they looked like two cowboys having a face off in a Wild Western movie. Nearby passerby began to gather in a circle around them. Sakura grew worried.

"She's going with me," both said at exactly the same time. Sakura sighed. Really, did it have to be like this?

Holding her irises in one arm, she walked up to both boys and poked them both in the forehead.

"I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to have a say in this, right?" she muttered.

Both boys looked down in shame and nodded.

Smiling, she continued. "Well then, I'm going to pick…"

Both boys stared at her with anticipation; both hoping that it would be them.

"…nobody. For now, at least." Then both boys face-faulted.

"COME ON SAKURA-CHAN! PLEASE!" Naruto begged.

Annoyed, Sakura punched him in the face. "Isn't Hinata looking for you?"

Then a look of realization crossed his face, as well as pain, and he got up and ran off to meet Hinata.

"Well my little lotus flower," Lee drew himself up to hold her free hand, "may you use the power of youth to come to a wise decision! FOR THE POWER OF YOUTH US FREE!"

He smiled a shiny white toothed smile that was almost blinding, and made another nice guy pose.

Sakura tried to smile back, but instead, she sweat-dropped again, out of embarrassment.

"Well, I've got a mission in an hour and I need to prepare for this journey with my team. I WILL BE BACK FOR YOU MY LOTUS FLOWER!!!!!!!!!!!!" Lee shouted one last time before he finally left her back to her thoughts once more.

Sakura sniffed the irises again, liking the way the scent tickled her nose, but wasn't strong enough to make her sneeze.

"I wonder if this will work," she mumbled to no one as she began to plan a small surprise for her teammate/crush.


End file.
